Video with Some Thoughts on FCC’s National Broadband Plan

Details are starting to trickle out about the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) National Broadband Plan, which is due out tomorrow. Someone just posted the Executive Summary here. I haven’t had a chance to go through it all yet, but I’m looking forward to learning more about what the agency’s plans are on this front.

On Friday (again, before seeing any details), I offered some fairly mushy comments about the idea of national “plan” to the gang over at the excellent new site, FiveQsOnTech.com. The site has a great format: Five questions on technology and policy asked and answered (usually on tape) by technology policy wonks. I’m honored to be among the first couple of experts featured on the site, along with Markham Erickson of the Open Internet Coalition and Rob Atkinson of ITIF.

In the first 3 minutes of this second of the two videos I appear in, I offered some thoughts about “The Plan”:

Adam Thierer / Adam is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He previously served as President of the Progress & Freedom Foundation, Director of Telecom. Studies at the Cato Institute, and Fellow in Economic Policy at the Heritage Foundation.

I can see your leanings here are towards non-government intervention and allowing the natural ebbing and flow of the uncontrolled market to prevail, but you also, probably because you recognize that those who want to control and use other peoples money to do so exist, temper your comments so as to be able to work with and influence these users of force to move in a more free market direction. I do applaud your efforts, but also hate the idea that you grant them legitimacy when you do so. Ah! such is life, I guess. As you say, government has a very poor record precisely because of the use of force to do even what is considered good. It NEVER is if all things are considered in the costs. Never.

Traderawb

I can see your leanings here are towards non-government intervention and allowing the natural ebbing and flow of the uncontrolled market to prevail, but you also, probably because you recognize that those who want to control and use other peoples money to do so exist, temper your comments so as to be able to work with and influence these users of force to move in a more free market direction. I do applaud your efforts, but also hate the idea that you grant them legitimacy when you do so. Ah! such is life, I guess. As you say, government has a very poor record precisely because of the use of force to do even what is considered good. It NEVER is if all things are considered in the costs. Never.